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HYBRID PARATRANSIT SERVICE

Hybrid paratransit, which combines features of conventional bus service and demand-responsive transportation, is examined. Hybrid paratransit sacrifices some of the flexibility of demand-responsive transportation to attain improved productivity and cost savings but retains some of that flexibility to achieve the levels of service necessary for adequate market penetration. One example of hybrid paratransit is checkpoint subscription service, a prearranged operation in which groups of passengers gather at common locations for collection and passengers are distributed only to those locations. Checkpoint and doorstep subscription service were analyzed and compared by applying models that predict cost and performance. The results show not only that the expected productivity increases accrue to the hybrid operation but also that, under many circumstances, the level of service of bybrid paratransit is superior. In addition, for any level of ridership, there may be a vehicle size that minimizes the operating costs of both subscription services. It is concluded that hybrid paratransit may offer service and cost characteristics that dominate demand-responsive transportation under a variety of conditions and may be the most appropriate option for service areas of moderate population density. (Author)